There was no quit from Lawrence High’s girls basketball team on Friday against Olathe East.

The Lions trailed for the majority of the contest but refused to let the Hawks pull away. In the final minutes, they did their best to rally but fell short in a 45-42 loss at Olathe East.

LHS trailed by eight points with under five minutes remaining before senior point guard Marissa Pope scored four points at the free-throw line, junior Emma Bentzinger added a putback layup and freshman wing E’lease Stafford drained a three to cut the score to 43-40 with 25 seconds remaining.

However, the Hawks (5-4, 3-1 in the Sunflower League) made their last four free throws to end any comeback bid.

“It was definitely tough that we didn’t get over the hump, but that’s definitely one of the best games we’ve played all year,” Pope said. “It just showed that we have a lot to work on.”

LHS sophomore guard Olivia Lemus tied the game, 18-18, in the third quarter when she made a jump shot in the paint. But O-East sophomore Caroline Hoppock responded with a three-pointer, and the Hawks went on a 10-3 run over the next six minutes.

“When you play games like that, with that kind of intensity, sometimes you’re going to get them, sometimes you’re not,” LHS coach Jeff Dickson said. “We could have turned it over a couple of times less. Maybe got a stop here or there. … It could have gone either way, and this time it didn’t go our way.”

Every time the Hawks threatened to push their lead in double digits in the fourth quarter, the Lions (1-8, 0-4) responded with a score. Pope, who missed Tuesday’s game because of a head injury, scored eight of her 13 points in the final quarter despite playing with four fouls.

When Pope was forced to the bench because of foul trouble early, Stafford picked up the team by scoring a team-high 14 points on 4-of-6 shooting to go along with seven rebounds.

“It’s nice to have someone else,” Pope said of the freshman Stafford. “She’s young, and she’s very raw, but she’s one of the most talented girls I’ve ever played with, so it’s nice to have someone to play alongside. It makes it more fun.”

The Lions were strong defensively, holding the Hawks to 33 percent shooting (13-for-39) and limiting offensive rebounds. They were missing their leading rebounder, sophomore guard Skylar Drum, but received a boost from senior forwards Matia and Rebecca Finley, along with juniors Bentzinger and Devon Spoonhunter.

“I thought Matia and Rebecca Finley were just phenomenal tonight,” Dickson said. “Great defensively. Great rebounding. They upped our intensity on the boards, which I think has made us a more effective team.”

Though the Lions couldn’t rip out a road victory, it was a positive sign for the young squad.

“We’re not about moral victories. That’s what we expect,” Dickson said. “I thought we’d see it sooner than we have, but later is better than never.”

The Lions will play in the Firebird Winter Classic at Free State on Jan. 29.

LAWRENCE (42)

Olivia Lemus 2-6 2-2 6, E’lease Stafford 4-6 5-6 14, Marissa Pope 4-8 5-8 13, Matia Finley 0-3 1-2 1, Devon Spoonhunter 2-6 0-0 4, Madison McKinney 0-2 0-0 0, Rebecca Finley 1-1 0-0 2, Emma Bentzinger 1-4 0-0 2. Totals 14-36 13-18 42.

OLATHE EAST (45)

Valencia Scott 2-7 5-6 9, Molly Taitt 3-8 4-4 10, Caroline Hoppock 6-12 2-4 17, Sydney Wilson 2-6 2-2 7, Lauren Kirk 0-1 1-2 1, Regan Schumacher 0-3 1-2 1, Katie Gleason 0-1 0-0 0, Carolyn Schmidt 0-0 0-1 0, Jordan Cronan 0-1 0-1 0. Totals 13-39 15-22 45.

Lawrence 6 9 10 17 — 42

O-East 12 6 13 14 — 45

Three-point field goals: Lawrence 1-6 (Stafford); O-East 4-15 (Hoppock 3, Wilson). Fouled out: Lemus. Turnovers: Lawrence 15, O-East 7.